Skull Eater
by Jeice Lover
Summary: The legend of the Skull Heart has been whispered and rumored throughout the world and the changing times. A mystical artifact that can grant a person's wish. Formerly known for creating being known as Skullgirls, Skullboys have been known to exist as well. What does Spirit know about all of this? How does it affect Maka? And what is their relation with the myth of Bloody Marie?
1. Echoes

_An older teen, probably no older than 16, gasped and struggled for breath as they ran. The night was damp and cold, and the ragged clothing they wore offered little protection against the chill. The clouds hung ominously in the heavens above, so the bleeding moon could barely be seen through the cover. The teen paid no mind to the fact that there was no one around, they constantly looked over their shoulder like an animal that is being chased. The sounds their feet made were quickly swallowed up by the empty night. Finally, the dark clouds above burst and allowed water to pour down from heaven to drench them. At last, the teen stopped, leaning tiredly against a dirty brick wall to catch their breath. Up ahead, only one building had a light shining through a colored pane._

_Clutching their garments about them, the teen went to the building's heavy wooden doors and pressed their hand against it. The right hand door of the church, for that's what the building was, swung open easily and soundlessly at the push. The teen scurried in out of the cold and rain and pulled the door shut behind them, closing off the church from the outside world._

_Heavy drops of rainwater dripped down from the teen's hair as they plodded wearily up the aisle to the altar, where high candles cast off an eerie, yet somewhat tranquil glow. A flash of lightning from outside lit the windows, accentuating the images of three women shown in the images of the colored glass. Finally, the teen reached the steps up to the altar, but their feet could lift themselves no further and they collapsed to the stone. Long hair fell into their face, splashing water into their eyes. Finally, warm tears filled with fatigue and despair began to well up in their eyes and dripped down to the stone, mingling with the rain-water that dripped from their hair. The teen cried like this for a while, before the statue of the three women combined into one entity that towered to the high roof of the church._

"_Wipe away your tears, child, and stand on your feet." The teen looked up, shocked that someone else was there. It was a nun, hands pressed lightly together at the palms with eyes closed and head slightly bowed, an image of serene prayer. Slowly, the sister spread her hands and extended them to the tear-stained, shivering teen. "You needn't run any more, child. For the trinity has heard your cries, and answered your pleas." Hovering above the extended hands, a strange object cloaked in a blue glow seemed to fade into existence. The light it gave off was warm, seeming to draw the teen's very essence to the object. Tentatively, they reached out a hand and, as if hypnotized, placed a hand on it. A warm feeling swept through their veins at the contact, seeming to spread to their very core._

_The nun's serene face slowly made way to a dark smile, one that kept dark secrets and things that should never have seen the light of day. A flash of lightning lit up the windows, bathing the scene in shaded light that sent streaks of red over the two. As the power spread from the teen's touch, they felt their true emotion. Not fear and despair, but anger and hatred so deep it could have rended the earth to its' core. The nun opened her eyes, nothing but glowing red appearing from under the lids. These eyes stared down at the teen at her feet, and sparked with something dark._

"_What is your wish?"_

–

"Alrighty then, bye bye, see ya, see ya!" Spirit smiled and waved from behind Lord Death as the student on the other side of the mirror disappeared from view. Once the image faded and the surface of the mirror turned back to a regular mirror, Lord Death turned around to face his Death Scythe.

"Well, it seems our students are doing very well. I'd say some of them are about halfway there in creating a death scythe. Perhaps we'll soon have some young blood to help us along."

"I'll agree with you there, sir. The students are progressing very well." Of course, in the back of his mind, he was always rooting for his little girl. Maka and Soul had made up a lot of ground since the Blair incident, and he was rooting for his daughter every step of the way. Lord Death seemed to remember something and his hand appeared to he could snap his fingers.

"Oh yes, Death Scytge, I almost forgot. How is the search for the Kishin coming along?" Spirit sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Not very well. It seems to have dropped off the radar at the moment. Azusa is still looking up leads, so we should have something soon." The grim reaper nodded, obviously pleased by the latter information.

"Good, good. How about Marie? Has she been keeping Stein in check?"

"Far as I know, yes. He hasn't been doing anything to radical, so I'd say she's doing pretty good so far. At any rate, she said she hasn't come up with any weird scars on her when I asked, so I know that he's at least not experimenting on her in her sleep. Not like with me, at any rate." Just the memory of those goings-on made him shiver. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise up at the thought of it. "Also, Justin has-" Before he could tell his meister what Justin had been doing, the mirror rippled and swirled until a face appeared on the other side. Death the Kid stood at the calling end, as it was his face that showed in the mirror.

"Oh, hold that thought, Death Scythe. Kid! Hello! Hello! Wassup? Wassup?" Kid nodded at his father's greeting.

"Hello father, Death Scythe. I wanted to report in. I have just collected 100 Kishin eggs, 50 for Liz and 50 for Patty. So I just thought I would tell you that I am now at the halfway point." Lord Death nodded, excitedly.

"Very good! Nicely done, kiddo!" Spirit nodded in agreement with Lord Death's praise.

"Right, nice job. You're halfway there already. With your skill I'd say you don't have much longer until you've collected all the souls you need. You'll be done before you know-" He cut off his sentence suddenly with a grunt. Almost instinctively, his hand went up and was held over his chest. This didn't go unnoticed by the Kid.

"Is something wrong, Death Scythe?" Spirit realized that he had been seen and looked up, finding both father and son Death looking at him. He straightened himself and carefully tucked his hand into his pocket, as if trying to avoid the incident.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just a little hiccup, I'm fine." His boss's son looked at him incredulously.

"Are you sure? That didn't seem very much like a hiccup." Spirit waved that comment away with his free hand.

"Naw, it's fine. Just need a drink of water and I'll be good. May I, Lord Death?" Lord Death nodded at his death scythe's request and Spirit exited the Death Room. He headed straight to the men's bathroom and locked the door carefully behind him. Just as the bolt clicked into place, another pang rang throughout his chest, causing his hand to jump over his heart again. With a bit of effort, he staggered over to the sink and leaned against it, waiting for the vibrations in his chest to stop. With one hand balancing him upright against the sink, he looked into the mirror. He let out another grunt, eyes shooting open.

"No, it can't be happening yet, not so soon," he murmured. He stared at his own eyes in the mirror, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. "Please, no." However, it was so. As he stared, his eyes faded back to their normal color and shape. But he was able to watch as the half-skull iris disappeared from his now-red eyes. He leaned his forehead against the mirror, eyes shut tight. "Looks like I don't have as much time as I thought. Maka... Maka. Whatever happens, I pray that you will follow your dream, no matter what happens to me," he glared at the slowly fading red in his irises, "or what I become."


	2. The Legend of the Skull Heart

"_Papa? What is this place?"_

"_This is a very special place, sweetheart. This place is where your papa was born."_

"_Really? But why here?"_

"_...I can tell you that another time. Right now, there's someone you need to meet."_

"_Who is it?"_

"_**Greetings, Spirit. Welcome back to the house of the Divine Trinity, it is good to see you after you have been away for so long... Ah, I see you have brought your spawn with you this day.**"_

"_...Yes."_

"_**Most excellent."**_

–

The night in Death City was normal, blood dripped from between the teeth of the grinning moon. A dark form detached itself from the shadows. A creature on two spindly legs hissed as it looked about with beady black eyes. The creature had no hands, only two sharp objects at the ends of the wrists that looked like axe heads. The arms raised up so the 'hands' were at head level, the metal surfaces glinting in the evil moonlight. A long tongue unfurled from the mouth and licked around its' lips, anticipation of a meal of pure human souls. Saliva dripped down from its' chin, falling past the ragged, green dress before hitting the pavement.

"Elizabeth Bordon, your soul has become a kishin egg. Your soul shall now be collected by a meister of the DWMA." The creature whipped around, spying three children behind it. It grinned wickedly, seeing three easy appetizers for its' dinner. The tongue continued to wave in the air, as if tasting the scents of the children.

"Ehh... It's tongue is all slimy and long, I don't think I can deal with that."

"For god's sakes, shut up for once in your pathetic life, Crona." Much to the surprise of the creature that was Lizzie Bordon, a black thing burst from the back of the tall, skinny one, leaning over its' head. "Now quiet before I get you back on the sleep deprivation again," it warned as it bopped the child on the head.

"No! I don't know how to deal with those dark circles if they come back! Please don't!" The creature took a menacing step forward, growling lowly.

"It's coming. Ready, Soul?"

"Yup." Suddenly, one of the children disappeared, but the girl child next to him was suddenly holding a large scythe. In the same manner, the black creature disappeared, and the tall, thin child was holding a black sword.

"Ragnarok?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm ready. Shut up."

"Then let's go." The girl jumped, scythe pulled back in preparation for a swing. Lizzie Gordon jumped back, but the thin boy lunged at her with the flat of his blade towards her.

"Ragnarok, scream resonance." At the boy's command, a shrieking sound emenated from the mouth on the flat of the blade. As Lizzie Gordon stopped and clutched her hands over her ears, the girl swung her scythe around, slicing her cleanly in two while she was distracted. The two pieces fell apart and faded, revealing the red kishin egg within.

"Alright, eat up, Soul."

"Roger that." Soul allowed his head to come out of the joint of his weapon form, and he took the kishin egg into his mouth and almost swallowed it whole.

"Nice job, Crona," Maka praised with a smile. Crona placed his hand over his sword arm, letting Ragnarok hang down near his feet.

"Um, yeah, thanks... You too Maka," he mumbled, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Soul jumped out of Maka's hands and returned to his human form. The three started walking, little Ragnarok rode on Crona's head.

"I'm hungry, let's get something to eat," he said, smacking his lips. Soul nodded in the blood-creature's direction.

"For once I agree with you, yeah. Something to eat sounds good right about now. Huh?" Soul stopped because he realized that neither Maka or Crona was walking alongside him anymore. He looked back and saw Maka looking up at a building he had passed, Crona standing behind her nervously. "What's the matter, Maka? Why'd you stop all of a sudden?"

"You guys can go on ahead, there's someone I want to see real quick." Crona fidgeted nervously.

"Who? I'll come with you if it's okay with you." Maka smiled at him when he said this.

"Really? Thanks Crona, I'd like that. I think you'd really like her, come on." Maka took Crona by the hand and pushed the door open before leading him into the large building. With a sigh, Soul followed with his hands in his pockets.

"Running off without even asking me about it? So not cool." Once he was inside he stopped and looked around. He raised an eyebrow at the numerous pews and stained glass windows leading up to the statue and altar at the pinnacle of the building.

"A church?" he asked as he looked around. "What's so special about this place, Maka? I didn't even know you were religious.

"It's not just a church, Soul," Maka replied testily as Crona followed her up the aisle and towards the altar. "This is the Grand Cathedral of the Holy Trinity."

"Now that's what you'd call a mouthful," Soul muttered under his breath. "So what's so special about this place? And who's this person you wanted to meet up with?" Maka and Crona had already reached the altar and were standing under the statue nearby it. It was a strange structure, seeming to reach all the way up to the Cathedral's roof and seemed to be a combignation of the three women in the stained glass windows.

"My dad took me here all the time when I was really little. It was one of the only times I could never be mad at him. It was a special time when we were together here." Her eyes seemed to glaze slightly with the happy memory. "This one nun, sister Double, she's the head of the church here. She always seemed to go out of her way to talk to me and my dad. I just wanted to see if she was still around." Soul huffed at the response, digging his hands deeper into his pockets.

"So you don't even know if she's still here, huh? Great."

"Greetings children." All three of them jumped at the sound of the calm, female voice from out of nowhere. Soul whipped around and saw a nun standing directly behind him. Her hands were pressed together lightly, with her eyes closed and her head bowed slightly to the ground. If she had been a picture, she would have surely been the perfect image of serene prayer.

"Jesus lady, you scared the crap out of me just now," Soul said as he pressed a hand against his chest, feigning the results of a heart attack. Maka stepped in front of him, pushing him aside.

"Sister Double, do you remember me?" The nun didn't open her eyes, but smiled when Maka stepped towards her.

"Ah, greetings young Maka, welcome back to the house of the Divine Trinity, it is good to see you after you have been away for so long." Maka rubbed the back of her head, seeming a bit embarrassed.

"Yeah, well, sorry for not being back in so long. I've been busy ever since I enrolled in the DWMA." Double only nodded in Maka's direction, eyes never opening.

"Do not fret, my child. All is forgiven under the roof of the Holy Trinity. So," her head turned in Crona and Soul's direction, "who might your friends be?"

"Well, this is my weapon partner, Soul," she motioned over to Soul with her arm. Soul only nodded in the nun's direction as he was introduced. "And this is a good friend of mine, Crona." Crona, in response, waved nervously. Somewhere above the church, presumably in the spire, a bell tolled nine times. The vibrations seemed to resonate throughout the church, like music that was so loud it attuned the heart to its' rhythm. Maka listened to the ten tolls and started when she realized the time. "Shoot, sorry sister Double, but we have to go. We need to report to Lord Death." Double only nodded her head, remaining in her image of prayer.

"Do not worry, my child. You may return here whenever you wish, and we can speak again then." Maka smiled and looked at Crona and Soul.

"Right then, let's go you guys." Maka led the way out of the cathedral, waving back at Double before she left. "Goodbye sister Double, I'll see you another time!"

"May the blessings of the Trinity be with you." When the heavy doors of the cathedral closed, Double stood there silently, head still bowed. "...Yes, I have sensed it as well, she had indeed grown stronger." Thought there was no one around, yet Double seemed to speak to someone close by. "...I understand. I shall keep a close eye on her, and her father as well." She opened her eyelids, revealing the all-red surfaces of her eyes underneath. "It is as you predicted. Soon, I believe that Spirit shall grow to be even stronger than our last candidate, and his daughter stronger than him." A dark smile creeped its' way onto her face. "I believe that your plans shall come to fruition very soon, my masters."


	3. In Rapid Succession

"_**You have been attempting to hide something from our masters, child. They are most disappointed. Surely you understand by now that they know all."**_

"_...So what will you do? Will you make me get rid of it?"_

"_**No. Our masters believe something good may come of this. It may serve to further their plans."**_

"_And what will they do once it has entered the world?"_

"_**...This is none of your concern."**_

"_I believe it is. It is my child after all."_

"_**You need not fear for the life of your offspring, child. The Trinity are divine, and they are forgiving as well."**_

"_Why do I not believe you?"_

–

All the Death Scythes were gathered in the Death Room, waiting for a word from Lord Death himself. Marie was standing right beside Stein, who was calmly smoking a cigarette. Azusa was adjusting her glasses, causing her to gain an intimidating look for just a moment as the light shone on them at just the right angle. Justin was right at the center of the room, music blasting in his ears from his headphones as usual.

The only one being unusual was Spirit. Spirit, who was normally right at the center of the room, was off to the side slightly. His long hair was pinned back by a large clip, holding his bangs out of his face. In his hands was a thick, old book with a cracked leather cover. Though there was no hair covering his face, no one could tell what the expression on his face was about. This was not unnoticed by his former partner.

"Spirit, what are you doing over there?" The red-haired weapon looked up from his book, quickly plastering a smile on his face.

"Not much, just reading a book." Something apparently got past the mini sound barriers over Justin's ears, because he looked up at them.

"What? What's going on, Spirit?" Spirit sighed, slightly annoyed at having been interrupted by his reading already, the annoyance was amplified when Justin joined in. The younger male looked around him and tried to see the the cover of the book he held. "What are you reading? Is it any good?"

"I'm still trying to read it, so-"

"I can't see the title. What is it called again?" Spirit closed his eyes as if avoiding something and carefully placed a bookmark between the pages before slowly clapping the book shut. He exhaled slowly, eyes still closed.

"Spiriiiiit...CHOP!" Justin suddenly found himself up close and personal with the ground, a dent in the shape of a book embedded in the back of his head. He twitched a couple of times, emphasizing the level of pain he was experiencing. "I would normally have warned you at least once before I chopped you, but you were being just a bit too annoying, Justin." As Justin's earphones were flung a foot away from his ears, he was able to hear Spirit's words.

"I apologize for the annoyance," he said to the ground. Spirit huffed and re-opened his book, the pages fell naturally open with the bookmark keeping the place saved.

"Wow, haven't seen you do that in a while, Spirit," Stein noted. "I thought your chopping days were over after you got married. Spirit shrugged, half-immersed in his book.

"I keep it in reserve nowadays. It's good to have something up your sleeve." Stein, not wishing for a dent in his own head, leaned over to check the title of the book instead of asking his former weapon the title, as Justin had made the mistake of doing.

"'The Legend of the Skull Heart'? That's a rather old legend for sempai to be studying." Marie gave Stein a confused look as the doctor stood up straight once more.

"The Skull Heart? What's that? The name sounds familiar, but I'm not too sure." Stein twisted his head to one side to crick his neck as he explained to Marie.

"Supposedly it is a powerful artifact that has the capability to grant the wish of any person who can get their hands on it. Not too much is known about it, since most of the knowledge of it has been lost to history. All we know is that it is somehow linked to a powerful being known as the Skullgirl, or Skullboy, depending on the gender in question."

"Hey, hey everyone. What's all this talk about artifacts and Skullgirls about?" All present looked at the mirror as Lord Death's image appeared. "Stein is right, Spirit. That certainly isn't something I would have expected you to be looking into." Spirit shrugged, snapping the book shut once more.

"It's nothing special. I caught a glimpse of it while I was browsing the library, and I thought it looked interesting." He held the book to his side and returned to his usual loose stance. "So, what is it that you wanted to discuss with all of us?" Lord Death nodded and brought out one of his overly-large hands.

"Well, as you all know, the Kishin's madness is continuing to spread throughout the population with his release. However, for some reason, it looks like a major piece of it has lodged itself right here within Death City." Azusa frowned as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"How do you know? Have there been any incidents of such?"

"Indeed there has. As recent sources are telling us, it brings me to believe that the Kishin's madness has brought power to some creature or person within the city. There are very few witnesses, however, thanks to a few individuals, we have managed to get a general image of what the creature looks like." He stepped away from his mirror and waved his hand next to it. In the glass, an image of something black appeared. It seemed to be hardly more than a shadow, but it was more than enough for all present to see what it resembled.

"Is... is that a nun?" Marie asked with some confusion.

"It appears so, thought I must say I really wouldn't be all too surprised if it was," Azusa said flatly. "Nuns are known to join the ranks of clergy in order to repent for or repress darker desires or deeds. If it is indeed a nun, then it is only an example of how the Kishin's madness can affect even those who seem pure."

"Indeed," Lord Death agreed. "Now-"

"Oh Great Lord, why will you not explain the meaning of this image to us?" Justin suddenly announced. Lord Death sweat-dropped at the interruption. "Will you not bless us with your wisdom on this creature and-"

"Spirit CHOP!" For the second time in not even an hour, Justin's face greeted the ground, and a new canyon was imprinted in the back of his head and earphones tossed aside like an old rag. Spirit remained with an arm extended, book held firmly in his grasp. "Take out the damn earphones, Justin. That's twice already that I've had to chop you today."

"Apologies," Justin mumbled into the cement. Spirit pulled the book back to his side and looked at Lord Death.

"Anyways, continue." Lord Death nodded, still sweat-dropping.

"Right. Anyways, the creature has attacked a wide range of individuals, but it it too wide-spread to pinpoint exactly what it is looking for. Now, we cannot spare too much of our resources to track it, but keep on your guard nonetheless. I am going to spread a warning among the general populace of Death City, warn them not to go out after dark if possible, but we cannot do much more than this. Just keep an eye out and report in if you meet with this creature. Understand?"

"Yes sir," all present said. One of Lord Death's large, book-sized hands popped out and waved them off.

"Okay then, that's all for now. Goodbye, see ya' around. Bye bye~" With this, the rest left the room, off to perform their duties. Spirit detached himself from the group with a bit more of a cheerful farewell (Justin returned this, but still kept a bit of distance between himself and the book of pain that Spirit obviously knew how to wield). He returned home as quickly as he could, closing and locking the door behind him. Once it was securely fastened, he slumped heavily against the door, allowing his chin to fall to his chest. With his free hand, he took a hold on his tie and pulled it down to loosen it.

_Home at last_, he thought with relief. With heavy steps, he plodded to his bedroom. A pang rang through his chest, they were coming a bit more frequently now. He glanced at his eyes in a mirror he kept in the hall, he caught them just as they made the change from ruby to sapphire. Once he reached his room, he allowed himself to sit on his bed, holding the book in his lap.

After he took in a breath, he flipped the pages until he reached the section he was looking for. After scanning through all the pages he needed, he grabbed them all and pulled, ripping them cleanly from the binding. There was a space where they were gone, a few bits of paper and hanging thread, but it didn't have to be perfect. Once the job was finished, he tossed the small pack of pages into the wastebin next to his bed. They flopped open when they landed, and he could see the same image that Lord Death had shown them printed into the paper in black ink. Under the picture was the word 'Double'.

_I'll return the book tomorrow, no one will know those pages are missing._ Just as he thought this, another, heavier pang (though now it was more of a jolt) hit him like a kick to the chest. He managed to keep himself from clutching at his own chest, but he bit the inside of his mouth hard. So hard he could taste blood as his teeth made a small tear in the lining of his inner cheek. _It's getting worse_, he thought wearily. _How much longer can I keep myself like this?_ Once more, he glanced at the pages that showed 'Double' on the paper. _I can hold on, just a bit longer, I need to. Just long enough to get things in order._

Spirit allowed himself to lean back on the bed, pressing his hands against his face and pushing his hair away from his forehead. Another jolt shot through his chest, just as powerful as the first. For just a moment, as he closed his eyes, he could see another place behind the darkness of his eyelids. High ceilings. Stained glass windows. An ominous statue looming above all. In the back, a strange mosaic of different people in peaceful poses. Off to the side, next to the one on the end, new tiles were being set in place. He opened his eyes, and his room returned to him.

_No sense wasting time, best get started now._


	4. Pedestrians Crossing

"_Papa, how do you know Sister Double?"_

"_I've known her since I was a child. She's always been around."_

"_How old is she?"_

"_Older than your grandmother, sweetie."_

"_That old? But she looks like she's only as old as you and mama."_

"_Yeah, like I said, she's always been around. Since I was little, and when I was growing up. She was always around... Always..."_

"_...Papa, why are you crying?"_

–

Maka and Soul sat on the couch next to each other, watching some old reruns of 'Annie: Girl of the Stars' on the channel the TV happened to fall on in their down time. Soul raised an eyebrow as the show's end came and the credits scrolled up next to a preview of the next episode coming on.

"Wow. This show's pretty old, but it's really good. And the only thing I say that about is usually music." Maka shrugged as she adjusted her feet on the coffee table.

"I know. My dad said he watched this show when he was about our age. Said it was his favorite show and he watched it all the time." Maka unwrapped a piece of candy and popped it into her mouth. She pushed it into her cheek as she spoke. "I've gotta' say, it's got pretty good special effects, and the plot line isn't too bad either. I can see why he liked it." As they waited for the blocks of white letters to finish scrolling up, Soul thought he heard a sound in the background. He realized in a moment that Maka was humming a tune under her breath.

"What's that you're humming, Maka? Sounds pretty smooth." Maka started for a second, then smiled.

"Well, I guess I was thinking about my dad, and I remembered there was this little song he always used to sing to me when I was little." She shrugged as she let the couch swallow her up more. "I don't remember all the words, and I forget most the tune, but I know that I always liked it, even though I didn't understand it all." Soul looked at her, nonchalant expression on his face.

"Why don't you sing some of it?" Maka looked at him, startled.

"What, now?" Soul nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, the commercials just came on, and I don't see why not." When Maka looked off to the side, Soul pointed a finger at her. "Hey, you've heard me play, it's only fair that I get to hear you sing." Maka sighed and shrugged.

"Alright, if you want. Just give me a minute to remember what I can of the song, I can't quite remember all of the words." Soul nodded and lowered the TV volume as he let her think. When she was finally ready, she took a deep breath and began.

"Why so down tonight? Just ano~ther day that didn't go your wa~y, well, don't you make a sigh. Just take my ha~nd, don't toss and turn. Let's just lie awa~ke. In just a moment's ti~me you'll wonder why~ you, ever looked for more~ than you've got, 'cause baby, you~'ve got you~ and me~." Maka paused for a moment, then shrugged. "That's all I can really remember of the song." She saw Soul starting at her, mouth slightly agape. "What?" Soul shook his head and scratched his nails against his scalp.

"Sorry, staring isn't cool, but you have a good voice, Maka." Maka shrugged modestly. "No, I mean it, Maka. You have a seriously cool voice." Again, Maka shrugged.

"Yeah, everyone always said I have a good singing voice. Papa especially." She seemed to look into the distance a bit at the thought. "He always said that I sounded like his mom, my grandmother, when I sang." Soul raised an eyebrow.

"Well, do you think so?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Hah?" Maka gave him an apologetic look.

"Well, my grandmother passed away when I was only a year or two old, so I never got to meet her. My dad said that I look a lot liker her, almost as much as mama. He said she was an amazing woman." She seemed to frown for a moment. "He always got this weird face whenever I tried to ask about her, though." She shrugged and grabbed the remote to turn the volume back up as the next episode . "Maybe he just didn't like talking about her."

–

Spirit sighed and straightened his eye, staring at the door in front of him. Just before he opened it, he plastered a large, fake smile across his face. He flung the door open and raised a hand in greeting to those inside.

"Hello there everyone." Risa and Arisa, who were apparently just waiting for a new customer, grinned and waved flirtingly at him.

"Hey there Death Scythe~" they greeted in unison. The two made a space between them and patted the space on the sofa. "Come on, have a seat." Spirit shook his head, lessening his grin to a small smile.

"Sorry girls, but I don't have time to stick around today. I just wanted to stop by really quickly to give you these." He held out two plain envelopes for them to take, which they did. "I'm going away for a while pretty soon, see? And I wanted to thank you for all you girls have done." The women looked at the envelopes for a moment, but then Arisa looked up at him and frowned.

"You know, something seems a bit off about you Death Scythe." She placed a fingertip against her lips as she thought. Spirit could feel his heart clench with a hint of fright, thinking that maybe she had seen what was really wrong with him, no matter how impossible that might be. She snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "I've got it! You're wearing your bangs differently!" Spirit resisted the urge to sigh with relief. This much was true, he had taken to styling his bangs lower today, so that his red fringe shadowed over his eyes. "It looks really cool like that!" Risa nodded to agree.

"Right! It makes you look so dark and mysterious." Spirit smiled at them and nodded.

"Thanks, I appreciate the complement. Oh, is Blair working today, there's a couple of things I wanted to give her, too." Arisa looked over her shoulder at the curtain covering the employee's only room.

"I think she's in the back right now. Hold on, I'll call her out for you." She cupped a hand around her mouth and called out. "Blair! Blair, come out here!" A head popped out from between the curtain, and the purple-haired witch smiled brightly when she saw their guest.

"Oh! Papa~" Spirit smiled good-naturedly at her affectionate nickname for him. "How are you doing today?"

"Alright. Listen, I don't have a lot of time, so I wanted to give you these." One of the items was a white envelope like the ones he had given the other girls, but the other was a beige one with Maka's name on the front. Blair felt something small and hard inside, not enough to make it bulge too much, but it let one know it was there. "Could you please give that to Maka once I've left? It's pretty important." Blair cocked a head with confusion.

"Why not just give it to her now, yourself?" Spirit shook his head, and it almost seemed there was sadness in his eyes behind his new, shadowy fringe.

"No, can you please just do this for me?" He stuffed his hands into his pockets and eyed her sideways as he said, "I know what happened with the last gift I asked you to give to Maka." Blair rubbed her head and smiled.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Don't worry, though, I'll get this one to her for sure, after you leave, just like you want me to." Spirit nodded and smiled once more.

"Thanks, Blair." He offered a wave before turning and heading for the door. "Bye girls."

"Bye Mr. Death Scythe, come back whenever you want." Just before he could make his exit, however, Spirit jerked to a halt, grabbing at his chest suddenly, as if it suddenly began causing him pain. The girls were shocked, but they also showed genuine concern about this.

"Hey, are you okay?" They could hear him gasp for a moment, as if to catch breath, before he straightened himself.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said somewhat breathlessly. His voice sounded tinged with a bit of tightness, but he was holding most of that in. "Well...goodbye." He went out the door without another word, still holding a hand over his chest. As he left, he caught a glance of his eyes in a mirror. Blood-red and skull shapes where the irises should have been. They were fading slower than ever before, pangs coming more constantly. _Not much longer now_.


	5. An Uncertain Fate

"_Mother, my chest keeps on hurting. It won't stop."_

"_I know, my son. Mine always hurts. Don't worry, you will be fine."_

"_No... it feels like something is stabbing it. I want it to go away."_

"_**Does something trouble your offspring, child?"**_

"_No, he's fine. I am caring for him sufficiently."_

"_**You hold him so close to you. As if to protect him."**_

"_He is my son. I shall always protect him."_

–

Spirit clutched the cold edge of his bathtub as he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. Once it was empty, he used what saliva he had left to spit the remaining taste out of his mouth. He had been violently sick all morning, his body emptying itself of all food and liquid he had consumed in the last day or so. What he had just finished vomiting was the half-cup of water he had attempted to sip about ten minutes ago. Now, as if his body was rejecting it, he had spit it all out again.

He wiped a hand across his forehead, coming away with his skin covered in his own sweat. Trembling violently, he managed to flush it down and stand to lean against the sink. With a shaky hand, he turned the cold tap on and used the water to rinse out his mouth again. Just as he finished wiping his mouth, the surface of the mirror above the sink rippled. Spirit cursed inwardly and quickly straightened himself, pulling his bangs down over his eyes as he had been doing over the past few days. When the mirror image finally stopped rippling, Azusa's frowning face appeared in the glass.

"Spirit, there you are. Where have you been? You should have been here hours ago." Spirit looked up through his bangs and forced a smile onto his face.

"Yeah, sorry, woke up late. I'm heading over right now." Hoping to avoid a long-winded lecture, he tensed inwardly when Azusa frowned deeper and opened her mouth. He braced himself for the tongue-lashing that was surely to come.

"Are you feeling alright? You seem pale." Spirit was a bit surprised that this was what she had to say, but he hid it from his face. "If you're not feeling well, then you shouldn't come in. You're no use to us if you're ill." Spirit spat into the sink, ignoring Azusa's carefully hidden concern.

"I'm fine, I'll be there in just a couple of minutes. Bye." With only his short answer, he tapped the mirror and made Azusa's image ripple out and disappear, even as she protested. With a grunt, Spirit pushed himself up to his feet and staggered out of the bathroom. He didn't stop until he reached the front door, only pausing to lean against the door frame and lock the door. His walking was more done in bursts than anything else.

At one point, he paused to rest against a tree, feeling as if he was going to topple over if he stood any longer. Shakily, he pulled a cigarette and lighter from the pocket of his suit jacket. It was a bad habit, he knew, but honestly, addiction had never become a problem for him, and he knew the reason why. This time, though, when he tried to light up a smoke, the mere contact of it to his mouth nearly made him dry heave, as he didn't have an ounce left in his stomach to vomit. With a grunt, he dropped it on the pavement and crushed it under the heel of his shoe before moving on. Somehow, he made it to the school without collapsing. Making sure his hair was over his eyes and his tie was straight, he entered the Death Room without hesitation.

"Sorry I'm so late, got stuck in traffic," he joked weakly. Azusa, who was still in there with Lord Death, fixed him with a glare.

"You look even more terrible in person," she deadpanned mercilessly.

"Nice to see you too, Azusa," Spirit responded with an equal, if not rivaling, deadpan. Lord Death stepped over to Spirit, looking at him closely.

"Azusa is right, you're not looking too well. You know you can just call in sick if you don't feel good. I need my right-hand Death Scythe in top condition, after all." Spirit shook his head, though he still looked a bit too wobbly to be standing without support for much longer.

"I'm fine, really. I need to be ready at a moment's notice, no matter how I'm feeling." His meister shook his head, even bringing out one of his block-like hands to point a finger at him.

"Nope, I won't hear of it. I want you to go home now and get some rest, at least until you don't look like you're going to fall over at any given moment." Spirit opened his mouth to protest, but didn't get the chance to speak. "Don't you make me give you a direct order over this." Spirit shut his mouth silently and put his hands in his pockets. "Good, now you go home, and I don't want to hear from you again until you're rested and well. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir." With this confirmation, Lord Death waved a hand in a 'shoo'ing motion.

"Good. Now, go on, get out of here. Shoo," he said in a half-playful scolding way. Spirit nodded and, hands still in his pockets, turned and walked out without another word. Azusa and Lord Death watched him as he left the Death Room so silently.

"Something doesn't seem right about him," Azusa said blandly.

"Agreed. Remind me to send someone to check on him later."

"Yes sir."

–

Spirit honestly didn't feel like heading home at quite that moment, so, despite his boss's orders, he lingered in the school a bit. The students had just been released for their late-morning break between classes, so there were a few students milling about. With any luck, Spirit hoped that he might see a certain student while he was slowly making his way to the exit of the school.

It seemed that luck was finally on his side today.

"Maka~" He forced a smile on his face, ignoring all the internal pain he felt to grin at his daughter. She, however, just looked at him with disdain, then turned away and walked in the opposite direction.

"Hey, where are you going Maka?" Maka had turned away from her father as he spoke her name.

"Anywhere you aren't." He could feel the stab in his chest almost as much as the actual stabbing pain he had been feeling constantly all day. Maka ignored him, though, and clenched her fists at her sides. Because she was looking away from him, she didn't see his sickly pale complexion and the way he was shaking slightly as he forced himself to keep standing straight.

"Say, I was wondering, do you have any plans this afternoon? I was thinking maybe we could hang out a little bit after you're done with school for the day. Maybe we could go shopping, or get some dinner, or maybe just hang out and talk." He paused for a moment, biting his lips to hold back a grunt before he spoke again. "Doesn't that sound like fun Ma-"

"Just shut up already, papa!" Spirit almost gave her a sad look, but held it back and hid it behind a smile.

"Come on, Maka. Don't be like that, you're daddy's little girl."

"Since when have I ever been your anything. Wasn't all your love always directed at those other women you loved over mama?" Now that one wasn't even a stab, it was a ripping slice that tore at muscle and flesh as it carved down a path through his heart.

"You know I've always loved you and mama the most, Maka."

"Then why didn't you just stay with her and not go out cheating on her like you always did? Why didn't you change if you loved us that much?" Her voice didn't grow louder as she spoke, but that didn't keep it from hurting Spirit's heart any less. Not even Maka knew where all of this was coming from, it was just a sudden surge of emotion she felt she had to get off her chest and vent at the one she felt caused it all. "You never cared about us, because you wouldn't have kept at it if you did! If you had loved mama or me, you would have stayed faithful! You're the reason mama left! I hate you papa!"

That last phrase, those four words, caused more pain than anything Maka had said before, though he had heard that phrase hundreds of times when she was mad at him. Through the shade of his bangs, Maka could see the pain in her father's eyes. And, to her surprise, she enjoyed it a bit. It felt invigorating, knowing she had caused her father at least a fraction of the pain she felt. Then, she saw his eyes widen, and saw the pain was not from emotion.

Without warning, he let out a screech of pure agony. The sound was like a bomb going off in the hallway, it made her take a step back because of how it shocked her. She saw him clutch at his chest, gripping his shirt between his fingers, and he fell onto his knees before landing on his side. He continued to release a screech as he scraped at his chest, as if he were trying to claw into his chest and at his own heart. When he took a half second's pause to intake breath, Maka finally snapped back to her senses and knelt at her father's side, trying to put a hand on him, but unable to because of his constant writhing.

"Papa! Papa, what's wrong?! Papa!"

"Maka!" Maka looked up and saw Soul running towards her, a worried expression on his face. He halted when he saw Maka kneeling as her father writhes and keened in agony. "Maka, what's going on?!"

"I don't know! Soul, please, go get someone! Professor Stein! Miss Marie! Anyone! Please just hurry!" Her weapon nodded and bolted off to find help. When he returned in a couple of minutes, followed by Professor Stein, who had also heard his former weapon's pain, nothing had changed. Spirit continued to shriek in pain, while Maka tried futilely to calm him. Stein knelt over Spirit next to her and asked questions as he forced Spirit onto his back, despite the redhead's clawing hands and writhing body.

"What happened to him, Maka?" Maka shook her head and clutched her hands together.

"I don't know. I was talking to him and then... then this happened." Her voice was barely able to be heard over Spirit's vocalized pain, shock more than anything else. "I just read his soul... his soul wavelength is going haywire. I don't know what's wrong with him." Stein narrowed his eyes and held up a hand with slightly curled fingers.

"Alright, stand back." Fingers sparking with soul energy, Stein shoved his palm against Spirit's chest, around Spirit's clawing hands, and released a Soul Purge at full power. Spirit stiffened, cutting off mid-shriek, eyes wide open from shock, and then limply fell back. Maka stared at her father, hands clenched even tighter. Stein adjusted his glasses before picking up Spirit's unconscious body. Maka watched him stand and look down at her. "Don't worry, I only knocked him unconscious to stop him from feeling pain. I'm going to take Spirit to the infirmary. I'll be a few minutes late to class. Carry on." He turned and left, carrying his former weapon to receive medical care. Soul and Maka watched this silently. Maka with wide eyes, and trembling lips.


	6. Whiling the Hours Away

"_**Ah, so your offspring has been born into the world, my child?"**_

"_Yes. I suppose you would know that, wouldn't you?"_

"_**Such anger that resides in your heart. I would have thought you had learned from the mistakes of your predecessors."**_

"_Cut out the formalities and get to it. Why have you called me here?"_

"_**To congratulate you, of course. Your child has been born when you are so young, and it is so healthy and strong. It shall make a fine host when it is grown."**_

"_Fuck you."_

"_**Such language. And to think, your mother and I tried so well to teach you manners. Or have they simply become another forgotten moment?"**_

–

Maka sat beside her father, who was lying prone in his infirmary bed. Her head was downcast, hands clutched in her lap. She had rushed to the infirmary as soon as classes had let out, and had been there for the past hour or so, wringing her hands as she kept vigil over her unconscious father.

"Mind if I interrupt?" She looked up almost listlessly when she heard Soul's voice. Her partner stood in the doorway, hands in his pockets and legs in a loose stance. Crona stood behind Soul, fidgeting nervously as he looked at Maka and her father.

"H-how is he doing?" Crona stuttered quietly. Maka looked back down at her lap, shaking her head slowly.

"He hasn't changed since Professor Stein brought him here, or so Miss Nygus says." Soul placed a hand on a nearby chair and looked at Maka.

"Mind if I grab a seat?" Maka shook her head, Soul took it as a signal for 'okay'. "Cool. You want a seat, Crona?"

"Y-yeah, sure. Thanks." Soul pulled out a couple of seats for him and Crona to sit down in. They sat on either side of Maka, both keeping silent. Maka only continued to watch her father, eyes following the slow, gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed in sleep. Crona leaned over, getting a better angle where he could get a better look at Maka's face. "A-are you okay Maka? You seem kind of down." Soul shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

"So, what'd Miss Nygus have to say about him? Did they figure out what was wrong with him?"

"No, they still haven't been able to figure out what would have made all that happen. They're still looking into it." Soul nodded, still sitting lax in his chair. "...You gonna' be here a while? I can stay here with you for a while if you are." Crona nodded, agreeing.

"Y-yeah. I could stay too." Maka looked up and showed them both a small smile.

"Thanks you guys," she said quietly.

–

Maka looked over at Soul from her chair. Soul's head was leaning back limply, a small trail of drool sliding down over his cheek as snoring issued from his mouth. He had fallen asleep a few hours ago, now the sun was a bit lower in the sky and the clock's hands were edging towards 4:30. Maka sighed and reached a hand over to her partner.

"Soul... Soul." Soul snorted and his head shot up, looking back and forth quickly.

"Wha- what?" He felt the drip of something moist on his face and wiped the saliva from his chin. He looked over to Maka, who smiled slightly at him.

"You can go home if you're too tired," she said quietly. Soul straightened up and scratched his head as he stretched out his arms.

"You sure, Maka? You ought to be coming home, too." Maka shook her head.

"No, it's okay. I'll be heading home soon, I'll only be here a little bit longer. You can go if you want, I know you haven't done your homework yet." Soul nodded, standing.

"Alright then, if you're sure." Crona, who was still there and still awake, fidgeted in his seat.

"I'll stay here with you a little big longer, Maka, if that's okay," he mumbled. Soul nodded and headed out the door.

"Okay then, I'll see you at home, Maka. See you tomorrow Crona."

"Bye," Crona mumbled shortly.

"See you at home," Maka said with a wave in her partner's direction. After Soul was gone, Maka lowered her gaze so it rested on her father once more.

–

The sun was low, the sky blurring in shades of gentle, warm oranges, yellows, and pinks; edging towards cool purples and blues. Crona had fallen into a light doze, his head tilting forward and chin resting on his chest. Maka was still wide awake, thinking deeply by the expression on her face. Both Nygus and Stein had come in during the hours between Soul's leaving and now. They had both told her the same thing, to go home and rest instead of sitting and worrying at her father's bedside. Both times she had told them the same thing, that she would be there only a bit longer. The clock's hands now rested at about 8:30.

Spirit had moved in his sleep slightly during the time she had been there, a slight, yet welcome relief for the girl. Maka flicked her eyes up to her father's face, and noticed that a small lock of hair had fallen out of place and was barely brushing the skin of his eyelid. Carefully, though she somehow knew she couldn't wake him by touch, Maka reached out to brush the hair away. As her fingers were about to touch him, though, Spirit moved his head to the side, as if away from her outstretched fingers. Maka froze, then curled her fingers inward towards her palm. She pressed her fist into her lap and breathed in sharply, like a repressed sob.

"Maka?" Maka looked over at Crona, apparently having woken up suddenly. He rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes and looked at her. "What's wrong?" Maka smiled at him.

"Oh, it's nothing Crona." She looked at the clock's hands once more. 8:32. "You can go home now, if you want. I'm only going to stay a little longer, so you don't need to stay here with me if you don't want to." Crona fidgeted nervously as he tried to read her face.

"A-are you sure, M-maka?" Maka nodded at him, and something in her expression told him that she wanted to be alone with her father for the time she was still there. "O-okay then. I'll see you tomorrow, then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Crona." The pinkette stood up from his seat next to her and left the infirmary, letting the door close softly behind him. Maka waited until her friend's footsteps had faded down the hallway until she couldn't hear them anymore. Once he was out of hearing range, Maka stood up from her own chair, briefly stretching the feeling back into her legs. She took a few steps to the empty bed next to her fathers and lay down there, turning so she was facing his prone form. She was intent on staying with him until he awoke, that meant all night if she had to. She rested her cheek against the pillow, eyes trained on him, even as the tiredly chuckling sun set and the maniacally laughing moon began to rise.

–

Stein sighed as he stretched out, leaning his neck side to side to crack it. A cigarette held between his lips, he slowly inhaled and held the smoke in his mouth before letting it out in a steady stream. He wasn't normally there that early in the morning, but he had volunteered to check on Spirit about this time today. His former partner hadn't changed all the day before, and frankly, a touch of worry was nagging at the back of his mind. He took the knob of the infirmary door into his hand and let himself in.

He paused in the doorway, looking in. Spirit was still lying there, same as yesterday. The thing that made him stop was that Maka was there, asleep in the bed right next to his former partner's. Her coat was hanging on the back of her chair, her shoes sitting between the legs of said furniture. She looked so quiet and peaceful, almost like a cadaver laid out for dissection, that he almost didn't want to wake her. However, the rational scientist within told him that he couldn't just let her keep sleeping there. He walked over to where she was and gently shook her shoulder.

"Maka," he said quietly, so as not to startle her. The younger meister groaned softly and opened her eyes, the image of her professor slowly processing in her mind.

"Professor?" she asked tiredly. Stein put his hands into the pocket of his labcoat, puffing on his cigarette out of habit.

"You fell asleep in the infirmary, Maka. It's six in the morning." Maka sat up and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "You've been here all night from the looks of it. Why didn't you just go home? We would have told you immediately if something had changed with your father's condition." Maka looked down at her knees, clenching her fists slightly.

"It's... it's kind of personal." Stein, knowing when not to question, nodded and stubbed out his cigarette, which had burned down to the filter.

"I see. Well, you might as well go and wash up real quick. I'm just going to check Spirit's vitals for a moment, though from the looks of things I doubt that anything has changed." Maka nodded and got up, heading for the door. "You may want to put on some shoes first, the floors can be a bit cold if you're only wearing socks." Maka flushed light pink, realizing she had almost left without her shoes. She quickly went back to the chair she had been in for hours the day before, quickly pulling them on over her socks. Once she had her shoes and coat, she hurried off to the girls' locker room to take a quick shower.

Once she was gone, Stein went about his brief examination of Spirit's condition. It was as he had expected, nothing had changed in the slightest since the day before. Stein lit up another cigarette, staring at his old partner as he took the first drag.

"What is wrong with you?" he mumbled aloud to himself.

–

Soul grumbled as he walked through the Academy's hallways, hands stuffed in his pockets. As soon as he had woken up and found Maka was nowhere in the apartment, and then seen that the food he had left on the table for her the night before was untouched, he knew what she had done.

"I can't believe her. She shouldn't have stayed here all night. So not cool, making me come looking for her like this," he grumbled to himself. It wasn't always the best experience to have a stubborn meister like Maka for a partner.

"S-s-soul?" Soul recognized the stuttering voice and looked to see Crona, crouching behind a corner and peering out at him.

"Oh, hey Crona," he greeted. The pinkette stepped out, fidgeting nervously and rubbing his arm self-consciously. His eyes darted everywhere except for Soul's face.

"W-what were you saying about Maka?" Soul sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, looks like she's been here all night, probably staying with her dad." Crona seemed shocked by this.

"She did? But... but she told me that she was going home soon last time I talked to her yesterday. Why would she do that?" Soul shrugged again and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"You've got me. I wouldn't know."

"Oh, good morning you two," the two smelled rather than saw the professor coming, as the odor of his cigarette smoke wafted in their direction and tickled their noses. "I take it you're both here because of Maka?" Soul nodded and Stein motioned for the two to follow him. "Well then, come with me."

–

The infirmary window's were open slightly, allowing a soft morning breeze to billow the curtains into the room. The sun was beginning to rise in the east, beginning its' daily laughter with a slow, sleepy chuckle as it began its' ascent into the sky. Slowly, a dark shadowy shape materialized just outside the open window. It was almost formless, as its' flesh continuously shifted and molded into different shapes and textures. It opened one eye, underneath the lid was pure red.

Spirit opened his eyes as a stab of pain ripped into his chest. He didn't react to the pain, though. All he did was look at the shadow outside the window. His own eyes were red, and his irises shaped into skulls once more. This time, though, the color and shape didn't fade. They stayed the way they were as if they had been meant to be like that his whole life. He sighed and glanced back up at the ceiling, as if preparing to resign himself to something.

_So then, it's finally time._

–

"So, prof, anything changed about Maka's dad?" Soul asked nonchalantly. Stein shrugged and adjusted his glasses.

"Nothing really. He's in the exact same state as he was yesterday." His face was already serious, but seemed to become a bit shaded. "To be honest, it has me a bit worried." He felt his right hand automatically feel about for a cigarette in response to the slight in his level of stress. "Nothing like this has ever happened before in the years I've known him. He has a special soul wavelength that can tightly control the wavelengths of himself and others, so his soul is normally very stable and in control." He clicked his lighter to life and took a drag before he went on. "Yesterday, his soul was totally erratic, it was going wild. And I have no idea why it would be like that." A puff of smoke escaped his mouth, shaping into a small circle in the air before it dissipated.

"W-what happened to him then?" Crona stuttered out.

"No idea," Stein responded simply. He paused at the door of the infirmary to turn the knob. "Maka should be back soon, you can talk to her." He turned his head and was proven wrong, as Maka was already inside the room. She was slumped on the floor, arms and legs limp, chin lying against her chest. Her body was like a marionette cut from it's stings, all but one, so that she remained upright. Soul rushed to his meister, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Maka! Maka, what's wrong?!" He asked urgently, needing to know what had reduced her to such a state.

"Papa," she whispered, "Papa is..." Her voice choked up, leaving her unable to continue speaking. Hearing her refer to 'papa', Stein's eyes shot up to Spirit's bed. He was met with an empty mattress and sheets. The window was wide open, curtains hanging limply as the morning breeze died.

Spirit was gone.


	7. The Lives We Left Behind

"_Our masters are losing patience, aren't they mother?"_

"_Do not speak like that, my son. They are my masters, not yours. You need not worry about them."_

"_But they will be my masters, someday. Don't they already say how my life must be lived?"_

"_**Your offspring speaks the truth, child. He has been raised well. You have more knowledge than him, yet he is far more wise. He understands that neither of you have will, They shall dictate your fates, no one else."**_

"_You know nothing, monster."_

"_It's okay mother, I know the truth. We have no free will. They say what will happen. What choice do we have in the matter?"_

"_**You see? He knows far better than you."**_

–

It had been three days since Spirit's disappearance from his hospital room. Everyone in the academy was on high alert about the event. Whatever resources weren't already trained on finding the Kishin were being put to finding the missing Death Scythe. Even the students were told to keep an eye out on their various missions for any clue, just in case his disappearance had anything to do with the witches or the Kishin.

Maka, for reasons no one knew, had become more quiet and slightly withdrawn. She had nearly drowned herself in her schoolwork, speaking to no one but her closest friends. Many of them were becoming concerned with her well being, but she constantly insisted that she was fine and only wanted to find out what happened to her father. A few were concerned, since she had constantly insisted how much she had hated him. Those who knew her well, though, knew this was not really true and her concern for her father was genuine and near frantic, at least for her. One day, not long after her father's disappearance, Soul finally confronted her about this.

"Maka, are you alright?" His meister whipped around to face him, seeming almost angered by the question.

"I'm _fine_ Soul. Why?" She snapped. Soul raised an eyebrow.

"No need to get snappy, I'm just asking because you've seemed strung-out for the past few days.

"I'm _not _getting _snappy_ Soul, and I'm _not_ _strung-out_." She seemed to bite off every word, accentuating every syllable.

"Easy, Maka," Soul tried to soothe, but it had the opposite effect he wanted.

"Easy? _Easy?!_ How can _any_ of this be _easy_ Soul?! My father is missing without even a trace about where he might have gone off to! It doesn't look like anyone is even _trying_ to find him! Does that seem _easy_ to you?!" Soul could see her starting to shake, hands clenched into fists at her sides. "He just fell sick like that just before he disappeared, and no one has any idea about how it happened or where he may have disappeared to! And you know what's worse?! The last thing I said to him before he disappeared was 'I hate you'! That's right! That's the last thing I said to him the last time he was awake to hear me before he disappeared!" Her shoulders began to shake and her voice choked up. "How's that as a last thing to say! He may be somewhere far away from here, without any of us even having the slightest clue where, and the last thing he ever heard from his daughter was 'I hate you'! Well I don't! I don't hate him! I... I just..." The tears finally began flowing from her eyes as she wailed out, "I just want my papa back!"

Maka's balled fists came up to her face and rubbed her eyes, tears dripped from her eyes and down her chin where they bunched up and dripped onto the floor. Soul watcher her, a sympathetic look on his face. As his meister cried her bitter, wanting tears, he placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her into an awkward half-hug. Maka cried into his shoulder, sobbing and sniffing freely. When her tears had died down and she was reduced to sniffled, Soul put an arm around her shoulders and began leading her home to rest.

–

Black Star narrowed his eyes, listening to Maka being led away by Soul. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he stomped down the opposite hallway. He was glaring at the ground as he walked, clenching and un-clenching his fists in his pockets. He went up to Tsubaki, who was waiting for him outside under a big tree.

"Hey Black Star, what's up?" she asked with concern upon seeing the expression on his face. He motioned for her to get up from her seat and follow him.

"Come with me Tsubaki, there's something we've gotta' do." Tsubaki obeyed and stood to faithfully follow her meister.

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously. Black Star fell into step next to her as they descended the stairs into Main Death City.

"Investigating."

–

"So, you're saying that Lord Death's main Death Scythe has mysteriously disappeared?"

"Y-yes Lady Medusa." Crona nervously wrung his hands as he spoke to his mother through Eruka. His back hunched slightly as Ragnarok's tiny upper-body leaned over his head. The snake witch had a grin in her voice, Crona could hear it. It made him shudder a bit at the tone, but he looked as shaky as ever to Medusa, so it made no difference.

"Very interesting," Medusa drawled. In her little base, where she stared into her crystal ball, drumming her little fingers on her legs. "He just vanishes without a trace, and just as the kishin is rising to power as well." A wide grin spread across her face. "Now isn't that a nice little present for me? I think this is just perfect to suit our needs."

"Maka is really upset about it," Crona mumbled before he could stop himself. Medusa continued smirking through her crystal ball.

"Is that so?" she said lowly. Crona stiffened, fearful that he had said something that could have hurt him or Maka. "So the little Death Scythe's daughter does love her father after all. How touching," she mocked sweetly.

"Serves them right, both of them," Eruka quipped.

"Very good observation work so far, Crona," Medusa praised. "I want you to keep this up just as you have, this will be vital for our upcoming operation. However, I want you to tell this to Eruka, she will inform me at a later date. I am going to be preoccupied with other matters for a while."

"W-what kinds of other matters?" Crona stuttered, dreading her answer. Medusa smirked behind her crystal ball and narrowed her eyes.

"Let's just say that I think there's someone with whom I have a _bone_ to pick." She her grin grew wider as she clasped her hands. "And if I can pick this bone, then we may not even need the kishin. If all goes well, I'll have all the power I need, as easy as making a wish." She chuckled gleefully, causing Crona to tremble with fear.

_I'm scared_, he thought fearfully as he allowed his feet to lead him to his corner to curl up.

–

Dim sunlight flowed into the room, tinted reds and yellows and many other colors as the rays passed through the colored window panes. The heavy wooden doors were shut tightly, locked against the outside world. At the room's pinnacle, on the altar below an omniprescent statue, lay a single figure. The only truly living thing in the room. A shadow loomed over the altar, hands pressed together as the head bowed with an almost mocking respect.

"Yes... yes... indeed. It is nearly complete. There is no soul contamination, and they are bonding well... It is as you predicted, the process is going smoothly, even moreso than the last." The shadow appeared to be speaking to itself, as there seemed to be no one else in the room to speak to. A soft, blue glow kept the edge off of the darkness, yet at the same time setting an eerie atmosphere about. The shadowy figure listened carefully, both to the words of its' invisible masters and the slowing thumps of the heart in the prone body in front of it. Slowly, the thumps of the heart became less and less. Until, finally, they stopped altogether and all was silent.

"...It is complete. He is ready." The shadow reached a hand forward, and gently, barely even making contact, moved the hair out of the eyes of the person laid out on the altar like a sacrifice. The hand continued to hover over the person, and the shadow spoke only one word. "Awaken." All at once, the thumps began again. They were strong and steady, more powerful than the ones before. After less than two beats, their eyes opened. And the red skulls of their irises sparked in the darkness. "Give thanks for your newly returned life, child, and the next time you open your mouth shall be to praise and serve our masters. You understand." This last was not a question. The person lying atop the altar sat up straight, looked straight at the shadow, and spoke only five words.

"So, what do they wish?"


	8. Dire Machinations

"_**I agree, I do not understand it either. He should not have been able to resist your control as long as he has. By now he should have been following every single order... Indeed, it is most strange. He may be more like his mother than we had initially believed, the heart has not even begun its' breaching of his soul, let alone a takeover. The effects should have been immediate after... Indeed? I see. So that is the case, then? Very well, I shall keep a close eye on him. He shall join and obey, when the time is right... As you wish it, it shall be done, my masters."**_

–

The large city was bustling with life, even as evening creeped in on the citizens. They laughed and talked on as they went about their businesses on the streets. A group of men in suits had just exited a bar, chuckling and walking upright with hands in their pockets.

"Man, I love that place! The booze is always good and the women are _fiiine!_" His fellows agreed, following him as they went on down the street. "We'd better get back, though, or else the big boss is gonna' get mad." He laughed aloud again, but stopped when he rammed directly into another person on the sidewalk. He was thrown off-balance for a moment, but straightened up almost immediately and glared daggers at the one in front of him. "Hey! Watch where you're walking!" His cronies snickered and jeered on behind him.

"Yeah!" "That's right!" "You tell 'em!"

"I suggest you apologize now, before it's too late." The person in front of him, a solitary person wearing a black cloak, said nothing. "Didn't you hear me? I said apologize!" One of his lesser cronies stepped forward, hand in his pocket.

"Show our boss some respect ya' goon!" A switchblade emerged from his pocket and he lunged at the cloaked person with it clasped tightly in hand. The person moved aside easily then grabbed the man's arm and threw him aside as easily as a rag-doll. The man was flung into the air, almost flipping three quarters of a flip before slamming into a brick wall and crumpling down. The lead man whipped around and yanked a handgun from his jacket.

"Tough guy are you? Well let's see how tough you look with your brains splattered on that wall!" He grabbed for the person's cloak and pulled, yanking it easily from the person's body. When it was clear, he had a split second to see the man's (for he now saw it was another man) face before the man's hand was pressed firmly over his face. "Hey! You're that-!" he yelled around the hand before his mouth was pressed into silence. His gang was frozen behind him, as well as many pedestrians and even drivers who were on the street. The man looked coolly at him through a curtain of hair, red eyes half-closed. One word alone left his mouth.

"Die." Blood was spilled, people screamed and ran for safety. The man with the red eyes only watched this with little to no emotion. Behind him, another red-eyed creature watched him. Watched him as he made buildings crumble like block structures and many hearts stop beating. Head lowered, as he caused so much destruction, no one saw a a single sparkle of water left his eye and splashed into nonexistence on the ground.

–

"This is officially the fifth attack in less than three days. The inhabitants of the city, like all the others, have been decimated. The city itself is in ruins." The remaining three Death Scythes stood around the mirror, Lord Death standing between Justin and Marie as Azusa pointed at the chart she had drawn up. Her face was grim, even with her eyes hidden. "No one has yet to identify the assailant, and we don't even know if it is the same person or an organization."

"And all of this less than a week after Spirit disappeared," Marie said sadly. Azusa turned her head away from her co-worker, and she could see Justing giving his fellow Death Scythe a pat on the shoulder. She ignored her own feelings of dismay and pointed once more at the mirror that held images of the ruined city.

"However, one individual somehow managed to take a picture of the culprit."

"They did? How?" Marie asked in amazement.

Azusa shook her head, "I don't know. The image is not very clear, so we cannot even identify the culprit's face. But here it is nonetheless." She tapped the mirror, watching the surface ripple. It cleared up, making way for a new image across the reflective surface. There was only a single figure in the image, silhouetted and covered in a long, concealing, garment. The only feature visible was a glimpse of the figure's eyes. Their eyes were a dangerous, glowing red. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the irises, instead of being ovals, were shaped into two parts of a skull that split in half, one for each eye. Justin narrowed his eyes at the mirror.

"How disgraceful, using the image of Lord Death's mighty skulls in their evil being." Lord Death paid no mind to Justin. He stepped forward and moved closer to the mirror. Azusa respectfully stepped aside and let him by her. Lord Death gazed at the silhouetted figure, backed by the frozen image of the burning city. He was silent as his name, still as a statue. Marie, feeling that something was not right, cleared her throat and spoke to him.

"Lord Death, what's wrong?" Without turning around, he responded to Marie.

"Marie, tell Justin to take out his earphones." Marie hesitated, then did as he said.

"Justin!" She said loudly, getting in front of him and pointing at her ears. "Take! Out! Your! Earphones!" Justin raised an eyebrow and removed the devices from his ears.

"I can read lips, you know, so there's no need to shout," he said plainly. Marie blushed, remembering that fact, and turned back around so she was facing Lord Death once more. "So, what is it?"

"All of you," Lord Death said quietly, "I want a major redirection of our forces, effective immediately. Marie, Azusa, take at least half of our forces from searching for the Kishin and tell them they are being placed onto another task. Keep them on standby for the moment until I issue out full orders. I want this done in less than two hours, understand? Also, Justin," he produced a piece of paper and quickly scribbled something onto it before folding it in half, "I want you to get this book from the library and bring it to the Death Room, and pick up Professor Stein on your way back, he is sure to have heard of these incidents already." Azusa squared her shoulders, bowing her head respectfully while narrowing her eyes with suspicion and doubt.

"Lord Death, just how serious is this?" Lord Death still refused to turn to them, and only held his hands behind his back.

"I shall explain further when all of these orders have been carried out. For now, all of you, do as you are told. Now, please, go." The three Death Scythes bowed and ran off to perform their assigned duties.

_What is going on here? I have a bad feeling about this,_ Azusa thought grimly.

–

Once their respective duties were completed, the three Death Scythes, plus Stein, were gathered in the Death Room once more. They formed a semi-circle around him and waited intently. Justin held a thick book in his arms, clutching it tightly. For once, his earphones weren't in his ears without someone asking him to remove them. Lord Death faced them all, silently serious.

"So, we're all gathered then. Now would be the time to begin explaining," he began. "Justin, the book if you would please." Justin nodded and came forward, holding the book as if it were a sacred manuscript. Lord Death held it up and showed them the cover as he spoke. "Now, I'm not quite sure if you have, but have any of you ever heard the legend of the Skull Heart?" Marie's eyes widened, a small memory spark flashing at the back of her brain.

"I know a bit about it," she spoke up, "and I recognize that book! Spirit was reading that just a week before he..." She trailed off, realizing what she had been saying. Lord Death nodded and opened up the book to a sketched illustration in one of the foremost pages. It was a black, skull shaped object surrounded by blue.

"Well, then you would know the basics of the legend. Long ago, it is said that there came into existence an artifact that had the power to grant a person's any wish. However, there was a catch." Stein narrowed his eyes, wary of the answer he might receive for his question.

"What kind of catch?"

"Well, if the soul of the person who made the wish is deemed impure, then they are transformed into the bearer of the Skull Heart. Traditionally they were known as the Skullgirls, since most of the earliest were women. However, there have also been quite a few Skullboys in history, though that isn't my point. The Skullgirl, basically said, is a powerful being of mindless destruction, same with the Skullboys. Their only goal is to destroy everything in their path, no matter what it is. While the Kishin seeks to destroy order, the Skullgirls and Skullboys have always sought to simply destroy. It actually worries me that one has appeared after all this time. The last time we ever had a Skullgirl threat was fourteen year ago, when the last Skullgirl's reign ended."

"How did it end?" Azusa asked curiously. Lord Death shrugged and tilted his head.

"No one really knows. All we know is that, all of a sudden, the destruction just stopped. No attacks, no massive death counts, nothing so much as a rumor of whereabouts. The Skullgirl just vanished into thin air. Though, that may have been for the best, as she was the most powerful and destructive that had ever existed until that point." He flipped through the pages slowly enough so that the four present in his room were able to see a bit of text and the pictures as the pages turned.

The pages illustrated the many Skullgirls and Skullboys throughout the ages. Fillia, who destroyed entire cities with her seemingly living hair. Cerebellum, who crushed millions of boys beneath his mere fists. Ms Fortune, who could never seem to be cut up. Queen Nancy and Prince Parasoul of the Canopy Kingdom. Peacock, as insane a Skullboy as Painwheel. Valentine, whose reign was short yet devastating.

"So much death and destruction," Azusa muttered under her breath. "Why did no one know any more about these Skullgirls and Skullboys if they were so destructive?" Lord Death continued turning pages as he replied.

"That is a complicated matter. You see, while Skullgirls and Skullboys are greatly destructive and powerful, their reigns are infamously short. With the exception of the Skullgirl before this one, the times that the Skullgirls and Skullboys have been in power have ranged from a week to six months. The last one, though, reigned for a whole 18 years. There is no knowledge as to why she disappeared after that, though." He stopped turning pages for a moment. "I didn't think much of it when that creature appeared in Death City a week ago but now I realize that it was foolish to turn a blind eye to it. I now realize that that creature was a long-time sign of the Skull Heart's appearance. As it shall show right here."

Lord Death flipped the page, but started when he saw what laid on the next page. The pages in the book were torn near-cleanly from their seams, leaving a space between the pages on both sides. A few loose threads hung limply down the inside of the binding, and a few stray paper scraps drifted out into the air in the open side of the book.

"I doubt that the book is supposed to be like that," Stein stated. Azusa whipped around and jabbed a finger at Jusin.

"Justin! Did Lord Death not tell you to bring the book here so we could read it? If you did hear him properly, which I doubt you did, then why did you bring it back with all of these pages missing?!" Jusin held up two hands in his defense, while looking at Lord Death pleadingly at the same time.

"Lord Death, I beseech you, I had no idea that those pages were missing!" Lord Death held up a hand at Azusa, telling her to back off for a moment. She obeyed and stepped back.

"Is that true, Justin?" Justin nodded frantically, on his knees at Death's feet.

"I swear to you oh great and benevolent Lord Death!" He bowed quickly and repeatedly, drawing a sweat-drop from the black-clad god. Marie stepped up, placing a hand on Justin's head in an attempt to calm him. Meanwhile, Stein addressed Lord Death.

"This is very odd indeed. I would like to look into this more. With your permission, Marie and I would like to take the book back to the library, perhaps find out who had it out last. These pages seem to have been torn out intentionally, and I would like to know why." Lord Death nodded at the teacher and Death Scythe.

"Very well, you go do that." He placed the book in Stein's hands and stepped back. "I would like this solved as soon as possible. You all know your duties for now. Keep your eyes peeled, for both the Kishin and for the Skull Heart's whereabouts. But most importantly, keep your ears to the ground for anything on Spirit's disappearance and his possible whereabouts. I won't feel at ease until I know I have my right-hand Death Scythe by my side."

–

"Excuse me, sir." The librarian looked up from his book at the sound of Marie's voice. The duo stood in front of the librarian's desk, Marie in front with 'Legend of the Skull Heart' held in one hand. In the other she displayed her I.D. Card that showed her as a Death Scythe. "We need to look into something on this book." She placed it heavily on the desk for the librarian to see. "Could you bring out the records? We need to know who had taken this book out last."

"Of course, just a moment Miss Marie." He scurried away to a little back room, where all the records were kept no doubt. The man returned in a moment, leaving no time for either of them to twiddle their thumbs. He placed the open book of records on the desk, in a position for the two on the other side to see. "This is a list of all the people who have taken out this book the most recently." Stein picked up the records and adjusted his glasses as he read them. He stopped at the one he wanted, the last person to take it out of the library. He recognized the loopy handwriting right away, though he didn't need to in order to see the name that handwriting formed.

"Spirit," he muttered. Marie glanced at him with confusion. "Spirit was the last person to take this book from the library." He stared at the cover of the legend book on the desk. "Though I doubt he would have been the one to tear the pages out of that book." The librarian held up a finger, wanting their attention.

"Oh yes, now that you mention it, Mr. Albarn complained that this very book was missing a few pages when he took it out." Stein narrowed his eyes. "Would you like me to put that away for you? You seem like you don't need it anymore." Stein nodded distractedly and left the record book on top of the desk next to the book about the Skull Heart. The librarian took both and went to put them back into their respective places. As he did this, both Stein and Marie left the library.

"So the book was already missing pages when Spirit took it out?" Marie asked as they walked down the hall. It was a Saturday, so the school was free of students for the weekend. Stein nodded, hands in his pockets, moving around to feel for his cigarettes.

"That's right," he replied shortly. His fingers had found a cigarette and quickly brought it up to his mouth, where it was soon lit and smoking. "And the last person who had checked it out before him did so over five years ago. That means either Spirit lied to that librarian or someone took it without permission and tore out those pages themselves." Marie frowned, her face tight with worry and confusion.

"I don't like this one bit Stein," she confessed. Stein removed his cigarette from his mouth momentarily and released a small cloud of smoke that formed a ring just before it dissolved.

"Neither do I, Marie. Neither do I."


	9. Pick Of The Litter

"_These candidates are all so weak and feeble, why do they continue coming if they know they cannot defeat you? They only end up dying."_

"_It is hope, my little one. They hope that the Skull Heart within me can grant them what they most desire. In order to do that, they must try to kill me and wrest the heart from my chest."_

"_And that will happen to me as well?"_

"_...Not if I have anything to say in the matter."_

–

The desert expanded in all directions, almost nothing but sand in the distance as far as the eye could see any way a person looked. Around a certain area, though, blood stained the sun-bleached sands. The corpses cooked under the mocking sun's torturous blaze, as a lone figure in a cloak stood and observed the carnage they had wreaked. The desert town, a former oasis and place of life for these people, was obliterated beyond all hope of rebuilding. The figure turned in its' intended direction, intent on getting wherever they needed to go.

Suddenly the figure whipped around, black cloak swirling with rippling cloth as they did so. A single bullet that would have gone through their chest passed through open air. The figure glared in the direction from which the bullet had come. From a slight distance, they narrowed their eyes and saw the flash of a sniper's scope peeking from around a rock.

"Damn, I missed," Sid muttered from his hiding place. He gritted his teeth, hoping that his target hadn't seen him.

"Sid! Watch out!" Nygus suddenly cried out. The zombie quickly leaped away from his hiding spot. Lucky he did, as the very rock he had been crouching behind was sliced cleanly in two not a moment later. He leaped away to another place, behind the smoldering ruins of an adobe building.

"We need to be cautious," Azusa whispered to her current wielder. "Remember, this is a Skullgirl or Skullboy we're dealing with. Whoever they are, their power is bound to be far greater than the likes of us mere mortals. "Now that we've been seen, they will surely try to kill us." A scream sounded from out in the open. Sid quickly peered his head around his hiding place, cautiously using Azusa's sniper's scope to see more clearly.

The hooded figure that was the bearer of the Skull Heart was standing tall, towering over a soldier that they had caught. The unfortunate man trembled as he sat on his knees, arms limp by his side. Though he couldn't see the curved blade, he could feel it as it pressed lightly against the back of his neck, ready to slice his head off with a simple movement. Sid focused his eye that was looking through the scope, trying to see the weapon in the figure's hand. He heard Azusa gasp, drawing his attention for a moment.

"What is it?"

"Look! The weapon in his hand, it's-" Sid quickly looked through the scope, and started with shock when he saw it clearly.

"I don't believe it," he muttered.

"What? What is it, Sid?" Nygus asked urgently. She was still in her sheath at his side, so she couldn't see it like her meister and Azusa could. The weapon the Skull Heart's bearer held resembled a large, black cross more than anything else, the long, curved, black blade of a scythe jutting from between two of its' points.

"Nygus, get ready. We're going in," Sid strapped Azusa to his back and exchanged her for his partner quickly and quietly. He gripped the handle of Nygus's weapon form, tensed, and pounced. The figure whipped around, weapon turning with them, so the soldier was no longer in danger. Instead, Sid saw the curved blade swinging in a deadly path in his direction.

"Sid! Watch out!" Nygus shouted. Sid's foot touched the ground for just a moment, but he used that moment to throw himself sideways, just under the blade's path. The figure leaped back, swinging the scythe in a circle as it did so. They paused, and then, for whatever reason, turned and fled.

"Sid! They're running! If you don't want to lose them, I suggest you give chase," Azusa warned. Sid clenched his fists and took off at an intense dash. He pumped his legs as fast as he could, while trying to stay out of his opponent's peripheral vision at the same time. He jumped behind different sorts of cover, all white following the speeding figure he was pursuing. Finally, he thought he could see a familiar speck in the distance. As that speck grew closer, his opponent sped up. When they finally reached the place where the sand gave way to concrete, Sid stopped, panting at the foot of the steps as his prey leaped up and vanished overhead.

"I don't believe it," he murmured. Above him, the twin towers of the DWMA loomed over the tall-standing buildings and shops and homes around it. As he caught his breath, he stood, then addressed the weapons who were with him.

"This is bad," he said.

"That's right," Nygus muttered in response. "If this means what I think it means, then we're in big trouble here." Azusa narrowed her eyes in the small pocket-dimension where her soul was in human form.

"I really don't want to think it," she said, "but it appears that the Skull Heart's base has been under our noses the whole time, right here in Death City."

–

Maka smiled at her friends surrounding her. As they usually did, they had all gathered at her and Soul's apartment to chat and hang out. They had just finished eating, and the remains of their lunch were scattered around on their dishes.

"Man, that was delicious! It was so good, even a star like me enjoyed it!" Black Star proclaimed as he held up his empty dish. Tsubaki nodded, a small bead of sweat dripping down the back of her neck from embarrassment.

"Very nice," Kid complemented as he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. Crona, trembling slightly, nodded and looked down at his lap.

"It was delicious, Maka," he mumbled.

"Yeah," Ragnarok chimed in, "not bad, cow." Maka smiled at the compliments, except for the last one, of course.

"Thanks, it was nothing." Soul glanced at Maka out of the corner of his eye, keeping a close watch on her. She seemed to have gotten better since she had admitted to him why she felt so stressed and guilty after her father's disappearance. She had gotten back to her normal self in the past few days, though, of course, there was still the disturbing news of the Skull Heart activity and all of the destruction it had caused as of late. She sat herself down, resting her chin in her hand as her elbow sat on the arm of her chair. Liz raised an eyebrow at this motion.

"Something wrong, Maka?" Maka started when Liz spoke to her, then smiled.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just stopping and thinking."

"What about?" Kid questioned. Maka shrugged.

"You know, things. Like that whole thing with the Skull Heart and all." Black star let out a loud, boisterous laugh.

"Well, no need to worry about that, not with the great Black Star around. Even if your dad is-" Kid, realizing what Black Star was about to say, delivered a swift elbow to the assassin's side. Black Star let out a small 'oof' and halted in mid-sentence, rubbing the side of his ribs where the offending joint had dug in. "What was that for? I was only talking about-" he stopped himself this time, realizing why he had been stopped the first time. "Oh, eh... sorry about that Maka." Maka shifted uneasily as she rubbed her upper arm.

"It's fine Black Star." There was an awkward silence in the room, made immediately more awkward when Blair decided to make an entrance.

"Hey there everyone~" the magical cat woman exclaimed. She leaned over Crona's section of the couch, her chest pressing dangerously close to the already-nervous pink-haired boy. Crona edged away as far as the allotted space would allow him as Blair leaned over. "Did I hear you mention your dad, Maka? I haven't heard from him in a while, now that I think about it. Where'd he get off to?" Maka looked away, lips tight.

"He disappeared a while ago, we don't know where he is." Soul jerked when he saw that her eyes had that certain shine to them.

_Crap, she's gonna' start crying! Damnit Blair!_ Blair, however, seemed to be trying to remember something.

"Hm... what was that I needed to do? Think Blair, it's important. Think," she muttered to herself. Finally, she smiled and clapped her hands together. "Oh yeah, now I remember! Hold on just a moment!" Without hesitation, she plunged her fingers into the space between her breasts (drawing nosebleeds from one half of the males in the room). After a moment of rummaging, she grinned and pulled something from between them. "Alrighty! Here we go! Maka," she held out the object in the scythe meister's direction, "this is for you." Maka stared at it incredulously, both suspicious of its' contents and a bit put off from where it had come from. "I just remembered that your dad had asked me to give this to you."

"...My dad?" Slowly, Maka reached out a hand and took it from the cat. She examined it and found it to be a white envelope with her name written upon it in green ink. She began fumbling with it when she recognized the loopy, though cramped, handwriting on the white paper. Blair nodded as Maka opened the envelope.

"Yeah, your dad asked me to give this to you a while ago. He actually told me specifically not to give it to you until after he had left, I think he's going on a vacation or something. He never said." Maka's face slowly changed as she read the note inside of the envelope. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped down. Crona had a worried expression for her on his face.

"M-maka? Wh-what's wrong?" Suddenly, Maka shot up, dropping the envelope onto the couch, and raced out the front door, slamming it forcefully behind her.

"What was that all about? Where'd she run off to in such a hurry." Black Star asked after a moment of silence. Soul picked up the note his meister had dropped in her rush and skimmed through the sentences. He wasn't as fast a reader as Maka, but he was able to get the gist of it by hopping around a few lines.

"If I know my meister, she just went to Lord Death to tell him about what may have happened to her dad."


	10. Them's Fightin' Words

"_**Your offspring has been a great success, child. It grows stronger and more intelligent as each day passes."**_

"_I will thank you kindly not to refer to my child as an 'it'."_

"_**It does not matter the title, child. The end result shall always be the same."**_

"_I've told you before, that isn't going to happen."_

"_**And just how would you be planning to stop it?"**_

–

_My dearest baby Maka,_

_By the time Blair has given you this, I should be long gone. I can't tell you what I'm doing, or even if I'll ever be back. But I want you to know that I love you with all my heart, and all while I'll be doing this, all of my thoughts and wishes will be for my precious daughter. You're a big girl now, and I know you're strong. You have your partner and your friends to stand beside you, and that is all that any father could ever ask for for his daughter. I know that you hate me, since it was my fault that your mama left, but, despite it all, I love you and your mama more than anyone or anything else in the world._

_I won't lie, what I am leaving to do will be dangerous, but all of it is for you. I love you with all of my heart, and I hope that I will be able to see you again._

_With all my love, your Papa_

Lord Death pulled the note away from his face to look at Maka, who was staring at him seriously. The Death Scythes and Stein were watching him as well, waiting for a response as he finished reading the message aloud to those in the room.

"So...what is all of this?" Marie finally asked. "I don't understand how all of this can connect. I mean, I can see that Spirit disappeared and the Skullboy has appeared, wielding a weapon nonetheless. But where does it all come together? How did we get to this?" Azusa stepped up, pushing up her glasses.

"Lord Death, if I may, I believe I may have a hypothesis on how to explain all of this." Lord Death nodded and held out a hand for her to step up.

"Of course, Azusa, the floor is yours." The raven haired Death Scythe composed herself as she explained her thoughts on the matter.

"If I may, here is how I believe this may have all come to be. It seems that Spirit may have had some knowledge of the Skullboy events, perhaps leading to his reading of that book not too long ago. Then, feeling a sense of duty as the only one knowing what we would be up against, wrote out the letter and attempted to face the Skullboy alone. However, thanks to knowledge brought in by Sid's report, it seems that his self-imposed mission failed, and he is instead under the Skullboy's control." She adjusted her glasses on her nose. "Mind you, though, this is only my theory."

"What about the collapse and trip to the infirmary, though?" Marie asked. This time it was Stein pushing up his glasses.

"Perhaps a ruse to fool us so he could get away alone. After all, Spirit does have a great amount of control over his own soul, and the souls of others. It is possible he could have made his soul behave sporadically so as to fool even myself." He stared down the bridge of his own nose. "He may be a fool, but one must admit, he can be a clever fool when the time comes for it." Maka stepped forward, speaking her mind on the subject, all thoughts on her father.

"But even if all that is true, then how could the Skullboy have managed to gain control over my dad? If he has that much control over souls, then it just doesn't make sense how he could be the one being controlled."

"You forget, Maka," Lord Death said, "your father may be very strong, but the Skull Heart is an ancient and extremely mighty power. No matter how much control your father has, it only stands to reason that he could be overtaken by something with more power than him. It is as simple as that." Maka looked down, and clenched her fists.

"You said that you have an idea where the Skullboy may be, where?" Azusa opened her mouth, most likely to say that Maka couldn't know, but Lord Death held up a hand to stop her.

"Azusa, I understand you may have concerns about telling her, but remember that Spirit is her father, and she has every right to know about what is happening with him." Azusa nodded and stepped down. "Now, according to our sources, Maka, the Skullboy's base appears to be hidden right here in Death City, right under our noses. Furthermore, we believe the base to be housed deep underground, in the catacombs of the Holy Cathedral."

"The Cathedral?" Maka whispered to herself.

"In fact, we are planning a search and rescue mission, even as we speak. Now, obviously-"

"I want to go." Lord Death halted in mid-sentence, all of the other adults stared at Maka.

"Come again?"

"Lord Death, I want to go with the rescue team to find my father." She went on quickly, before anyone could interrupt her. "I know it sounds like I just want to rush after him, but that's not it. My father is in danger, and even if I can't fight, I want to be able to help in any way I can to help save him. Even if it just means I'm on the sidelines as backup support, I want to be there to help." Lord Death contemplated this for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Very well, that sounds fair enough. Maka, you shall accompany Stein, Marie, Joe, and Azusa as backup, just in case something goes wrong and they need extra support. But only then, am I clear?" Maka smiled gratefully, and bowed her head.

"Yes, very fair. Thank you, Lord Death." The black-cloaked man was silent for another moment.

"I suppose the rest of you will want to go with her, hm?" A loud groan was heard as a small group filed out from behind one of the many arches of the Death Room.

"You see? I told you he'd know we were here." Black Star stepped out first, scowling behind him.

"Yeah, well, I bet it was all your fault. You're the one who HAD to fit symmetrically behind the pole." Kid came out next, quickly followed by Liz, Patty, Tsubaki, Soul, and Crona." Soul gave Maka a reassuring look, and then turned to Lord Death.

"Yeah, if Maka's going, we want in too, Lord Death." Death seemed to contemplate this for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Fair enough, if Maka is going, then I don't think I see any way to prevent you all from following her. You'd most likely disobey and follow anyway if I said no. Better to know you're all safe and under the orders of Stein and Marie than going about willy nilly." He faced the congregation, voice serious as he spoke his next few words. "Very well, now that all of this is settled, I will announce that the mission to defeat the Skullboy and rescue Spirit has officially begun."


	11. A Roll of the Dice

Sid laid on his stomach as he held Azusa's sniper's scope up to his eye. His vision was trained on the front door of the Grand Cathedral, as ordered. Silent as a ghost, he pressed a finger into the small communicator stuck into his ear.

"No movement yet, when are we going to move in?"

"Soon," Stein whispered in reply. His grip on Marie tightened as he, too, watched the doors from his position on a rooftop. Behind him, the students stood in a bunch, ready to follow orders. He turned around and addressed them, making sure to keep quiet.

"Alright, listen up. Our operation will begin momentarily. Remember, your roles are only to serve as backup, and only if or when we call upon you to do so. You are not to move without orders. You are not to disobey any orders. You must do everything we say to the letter. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," the students chorused quietly. Stein nodded as he saw they understood.

"Now, Marie and I are going to go into the Cathedral, and we will be followed closely by Sid, Nygus, and Azusa. If you are needed, then I will whistle three times. Come immediately when that happens." With these orders given, he stepped off of the ledge and disappeared over, leaving the group alone. Make stared after him, gripping Soul tightly in her hands.

"Hey, don't worry so much, Maka," Soul said calmingly, "Professor Stein knows what he's doing. He'll get your dad back safe and sound. Miss Marie, too." Maka nodded, but her heart didn't seem to be into it. Black Star 'hmph'ed and crossed his arms.

"I still can't believe we're just supposed to stay here and let the adults have all the glory. That kind of thing isn't for the great Black Star. I should be out there, center stage." With a huff, he leaned back. "Well, I would be saying that, but I know I'm here to help you get your dad back, Maka, so I'll let it slide this time," he said as he gave her a look. Maka shot him a grateful smile and went back to her vigil. Crona was clutching his arms as he usually did, though he seemed more nervous than usual tonight. No one else knew it, but his mind was on a recent conversation with his mother, which had him more worried about Maka's father than the others thought he was.

"Kid, what's up? You're making a weird face," Liz said. Indeed, Kid had his eyes closed, and seemed to be concentrating greatly. "What, are you worried about that portrait in your room being crooked again? Because if you're worried about that right now, then I WILL come out there and smack you."

"No Liz, that portrait is fine, I checked it before we left. It's just odd, Death Scythe is supposed to be here, but I can't feel his soul." Maka looked at him sharply. "I'm not joking, Maka. If you don't believe me, try feeling for yourself." Not wanting to believe what he was saying, Maka closed her eyes and felt for her father's soul. She could feel the souls of her friends around her, the unease and worry they had for her. Then she looked past that, past the souls in their homes and the souls of their teachers and Death Scythes who were working to help her father. Then, she reached her senses into the Cathedral. She felt something odd there, like a soul made up of bits and pieces of many souls. In all honesty, she had no idea what kind of soul it was. Past that, though, she felt nothing. There were no other souls in the church, just that one, patchwork soul.

"You're right, Kid, I can't feel my dad." Maka's voice held nothing of the panic she felt at that moment, but she kept on searching. Then, she felt it. There **was** something else in the Cathedral. "Wait, hold on, I'm feeling something."

"What is it," Soul asked.

"I'm not sure. But it feels... familiar." She reached her soul out further, trying to feel out whatever it was. Then it was as if something hit her soul, she could see a bright flash of red behind her closed eyes. With a strangled grunt, she released her hold on Soul and fell to her knees, clutching her chest. Crona, who was closest, got down beside her and held her arm.

"Maka! What's wrong?!" Maka whimpered as she felt an indescribable pain stabbing at her heart.

"I don't know. My... my chest just started hurting all of a sudden." She could say no more as she curled in on herself and clutched her chest. Her breath came in ragged gasps in-between pained grunts. Kid turned and pressed his finger into his ear for his communicator.

"Professor, we have a situation here, one of us is down. I repeat, one of us is down." Soul and Crona were looking at each other worriedly as they stood over Maka. Black Star and Tsubaki seemed to be murmuring to each other as Liz and Patty listened to Kid making his call. As Kid rushed to call Stein on his communicator, Maka slowly opened her eyes. She seemed to not know quite where she was. But her voice was oddly calm as she uttered one word.

"...Papa?"

–

Stein winced at the loud crackling in his ear from the communicator that he had placed there. With a grunt, he lowered the volume to a light whisper. The thing had been malfunctioning off and on, must have been faulty. Marie had advised against this, but he had ignored her.

"We should give Sid the signal soon, no sense in waiting around," Stein muttered.

"Stein, wait," Marie said quickly, startling him. "Someone just ran out into the road!" Stein looked out, and saw that she was right. Someone was running up the cobblestone road, feet slapping the pavement as their coat flowed behind them. A very, very familiar black coat.

"Maka! What are you doing? I ordered you to stay put!" Stein rushed out and caught her by the back of her coat. To his surprise, she began struggling frantically to get out of his grasp, like an animal that had just been caught in a trap. "Hold still, why are you trying to get away?" He easily lifted her up in the air by the back of her collar, leaving her hanging by nothing but her coat.

"Professor, let me go! I have to go into the Cathedral!" Stein narrowed his eyes with confusion.

"What are you talking abo-"

"I felt it, Professor! I felt my Papa's soul inside there!" Stein froze as she said this information. "Miss Marie, please tell him to let me go! I need to!" Stein's expression softened, and he tried to speak quietly and soothingly.

"Maka, I've already tried to sense his soul, and I haven't felt a thing. We don't even know if your father really is in there." Maka didn't even seem to be listening, and continued to squirm. Stein looked at Marie's image as she appeared in the side of her hammer form. "What on Earth is wrong with Maka?" he asked with a rare hint of worry in his voice.

"I have no idea," the hammer admitted. "I've never seen her act like this before. I mean, I've seen her act stubborn before, but never outright disobedient. Maybe something is wrong with... Stein!" It took Stien a moment to register why she was yelling, but soon realized why when the small weight in his hand was gone. He whipped his head to the hand he had been holding Maka in, and found himself looking at only an empty coat.

"Maka! Come back here!" The young scythe meister ignored him and kept running up the street. Before he could catch up, she had already thrown open the Cathedral doors and disappeared inside, letting the heavy doors slam shut behind her. Stein stopped and swore under his breath. He turned his communicator volume back up and tuned it to Sid's channel. "Sid, we have a situation. Maka has just run into the Cathedral on her own."

"Are you serious?" He nodded, though he knew the zombie man couldn't see him.

"Affirmative." He looked down at Marie. She knew what he was thinking and nodded the okay, she would go along with him. "Marie and I are going to head into the Cathedral on our own. If I give our signal, follow me in. If I give the backup signal, you shall be joined by the students. Understood?"

"Loud and clear, good luck, Stein." Stein flicked off the communicator once more and went to stand before the heavy oaken doors.

"Are you ready, Marie?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," the blonde responded. With his shoulder squared, Stein reached out his hands and pushed, letting the doors swing open before him.


	12. Dirge of the Divine Trinity

"_Mother, why is it I can never go outside?"_

"_You know the reason, my child. There is danger in the outside world. You are far safer here, in the Cathedral."_

"_But I've never seen anything past the inside of the Cathedral itself. I've never even seen the sun except through the stained glass windows. Besides, you have said that there are many great things that are out in the world. I would like to see them as you have._

"_That... is not possible, I am afraid. I am sorry my child."_

"_...Mother, I'm sorry. Please, I did not mean this. I'm fine staying here with you, even if She is here too."_

"_**Hm~ A mother and child embracing, even through tears. How TOUCHING."**_

–

The Cathedral doors creaked inward slowly, with a groan akin to that of a dying whale. Stein narrowed his eyes as he stepped into the dim light let off by the candles lined up on the walls. Dim moonlight shone through the panes of stained glass, throwing off a eerie, underwater sort of effect.

"_Creepy_," Marie whispered from inside her weapon form. Stein said nothing, but stalked quietly into the massive church. Not out of reverence of the deity that was worshiped there, but out of necessity of not being noticed unless he had to. A low murmuring from further up, closer to the altar, drew his attention to that point. His hand twitched around Marie's handle as he stalked up a side aisle, the candles throwing an odd glare over his glasses.

"Be ready, Marie," he whispered. Finally, they were just a few feet away from the main altar, separated from the raised stone by a short flight of steps. On a silent count of three, he leaped out from his hiding place to confront the mumbling being. However, he paused, as he only saw a single woman kneeling before the alter. A nun's habit covered most of her head, excepting her face. Both eyes were closed, and her hands were pressed lightly together. Her mumbles appeared to be simple prayers, and nothing more.

"_A nun..._" Marie mumbled, a bit thrown off. However, she could feel Stein tensing and pulling back her hammer form threateningly towards the woman.

"Don't be fooled, Marie. You remember what Lord Death told us. This is that creature, Double." Even as he spoke, Sister Double only remained praying.

"Yes... yes... Indeed. All is going according to plan, my masters." Suddenly, as the pair listened more closely, the nun's 'prayers' didn't sound quite so serene and holy after all. "Yes, he is safely beneath in the catacombs, he has been thoroughly sedated for the time being as well."

"_Wait, are you talking about Spirit?!_" Marie couldn't help herself, shouting out like she did. At the mention of 'he', the first conclusion she could jump to was her missing friend.

"Marie," Stein warned quietly. However, Marie's small outburst seemed to go entirely unnoticed. Double only continued to 'pray' quietly.

"Indeed, the child has begun the descent to the catacombs."

"_Maka_," Marie hissed. Her expression alone was deadly. Her voice was positively venomous. "_What have you done with Maka, you bitch?!"_

"Marie!" Stein said sharply. Slowly, with no rush, Double rose from her prayer position with a quick cross sign made over her body in the air with her fingers. She turned to face them, eyes still closed in a face so serene it almost seemed a mask.

"Ah, newcomers, I see. Welcome, lost lambs, to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity." It was strange, by the way she spoke, it was as if she had heard absolutely nothing that either Marie or Stein had said. "Lost little lambs, have you **c**O_m__**e**_ to G**I**_**V**_e _**a**_CON_fe_**ssION**?" Her calm speech seemed to distort, and as it did so, her face stretched and twisted. Her limbs retracted into her habit, and she seemed to grow taller and taller before their very eyes. Double's eyes opened, revealing nothing but pure glowing red beneath the lids.

"_Stein,_" Marie whispered. She stared on in horror, not wanting to look but also unable to look away. Double morphs and twisted finally ended, leaving her as a tall, indescribable moving lump of limbs and twisting flesh.

"**iF** _s__**o**__, _I shall _glaDLY_ a**CC**ep_t_ your t_it_HE... _iN_ _**BLOOD**_." With a guttural roar, the creature launched itself at Stein, claws outstretched to carve into his flesh. The white-haired meister threw himself backwards and flipped over the altar, out of reach of the claws. Before he could recover his balance, however, Double lunged again, this time cracking the edges of her hand against the side of his head. Stein instinctively jerked up a hand to the injured place as he landed.

"It's a lot stronger than I anticipated," he grunted as he gripped Marie in both hands. The creature looked down upon them with red eyes. Although it had no mouth, it was almost certain that the creature was grinning viciously.

"**R**_**ep**_EN_t, fOR __**yoUR **_deAT_h_** iS **_**NIGH**_." Stein lunged in again, this time catching the creature in the stomach with his weapon-free hand.

"Soul Threat!" Just as he released the large shock into the creature, his heart nearly halted. He saw Marie's face in pain as the jolt left his fingers. "Marie?!" He stopped the attack in mid-shock, but the one he had been attacking still flew across the room.

"_Stein! Why did you stop?_" Stain halted, looking down at Marie, who he still held in his hand. Across the room, he saw the Marie he had shocked, but she didn't look the same as the normal Marie. The colors were muddier and darker, as if this Marie had come straight out of a rusted, muddy mirror. The grin she flashed his way, bloodthirsty and cruel, was certainly not the Marie he knew.

"**T**_o_ fi**gh**_t iS_ fUT**ilE**. _AeoN _**H**_**a**_s fo_re_**ToL**_d __**ou**__r _**viC**_**toRy**_." The evil Marie rushed at him, but by the time he raised up Marie to block, a palm had jammed against his chest, knocking the wind out of him. When he looked up, prepared to stare it in the face, he found that he was staring at himself. The other him grinned in the same vicious manner the other Marie had, hair that was white on him was a dark orange on his copy. "**S**_**ouL**__t_HR_**ea**_T!" Stein's world fuzzed out for a moment as a massive jolt rammed its' way through his body, leaving him so paralyzed that he could barely feel himself hit the opposite wall.

"_Stein!_" Marie called out to him from her hammer, but her voice seemed thousands of miles away. By the time he was regaining focus, the creature had him by the throat and was smashing him into the ground. He was pummeled like this continuously, first smashed into the floor, then the walls, then the ceiling, only to have the process begun all over again. When he made a final landing on the ground, he spat out a small splotch of blood from his bleeding tongue. His glasses had fallen off a while ago, most likely smashed to pieces against the stones, as his bones felt right about then. As he struggled to at least sit up again, a foot crashed down upon his ribs.

"Do you see now, how hopeless this battle was for you in the beginning, children?" He looked up, and he saw that Double had returned to the appearance of a nun, as calm and neutral as when he and Marie had first entered the room. Still, her cloaked foot crushed his ribs as if she weighed a ton. "You never had a chance from the beginning. Neither you, or your pathetic world. Just like you, your world's end draws ever closer. Once the Skull Heart has unleashed its' power, there will be no place for any of you pathetic weaklings to hide or run. No refuge." Her foot crushed down heavier, so that Stein had to grit his teeth against the pain. "_No hope,_" A single hand raised up, fingers hooked into a claw-like shape. "_**No escape.**_" The claw-like fingers morphed into true talons, gleaming in the candlelight as Double's deep, red eyes did. "**b**_Eg__**On**_E!"

"I don't think so, lady!" The nun-shaped creature barely had time to turn its' head as a black-and-blue-blur swooped in, the impact caused a sharp crunch as the creature hit the stone altar, causing a crack to sprout up the middle. Before Double could even begin to get back up, three shots hit her. Two twin shots hit her in the chest, the third grazed past her head. It was all the nun-like creature could to to slouch against the altar. Stein looked up, and felt a small pang of relief as he saw the cavalry had arrived.

"P-professor," Crona said worriedly as he stood over his teacher. "Are you alright?" Stein nodded as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Fine, thanks to you all." He gave the children a bit of a sideways glance, "even if you didn't do as I said and came even though I never whistled. Soul huffed and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"You didn't need to, we could hear the battle going on from where we were hiding." A quick hiss drew their attention back away from Stein. Double had reformed herself, bolting around the altar and disappearing.

"_Damnit,_" Marie said aloud, "_she got away._" She glanced at Stein, who had picked himself up off the ground by that point. "_Well, what do you think, Stein? Should we all go after her?_"

"No." Stein looked at the students as he gave his directions. "That creature, Double, has taken Maka somewhere in this Cathedral. I am giving you students the task of finding her. Search this place from top to bottom. Basement, belltower, everywhere you can think. Meanwhile, Sid, Azusa, Marie, and myself shall make our way down to the catacombs, where we will face the Skullboy himself. Your instructions are nothing more than to find Maka and get out of here. Nothing. More. Am I clear?" As he got a positive response from the students, he dismissed them to go searching. As soon as they all dissapated, he looked over to Sid.

"Ready?" The blue zombie shrugged and shouldered Azusa.

"As I'll ever be," he responded flatly. The two rounded the altar where Double had disappeared, and looked down the hidden stairway wedged behind it. Without so much as a backwards glance, Stein led the descent into the catacombs.

–

"_**What was that? All my fault, you say? I think not, child. After all, this was your wish."**_


End file.
